Fast track your fat burning

7am: put fruit in pole

Go...go... go! Get a grapefruit. Researchers at Scripps Clinic in San Diego found people who got their mornings off to a flying start with half a grapefruit  over
a 12-week period  lost an average of 1.3kg (3.6lb). Its all down to just one formula: the chemical properties in the citrus fruit reduce your insulin levels, which fires up your metabolism straight out of the grid.

7.30am: join the scramble

Add two scrambled eggs and a slice of bacon to your plate. A recent study at Purdue University found a high-protein breakfast fuels fat burning. This is since more energy is needed to digest it compared with a high-sugar or high-carb start to your day. It also avoids the blood sugar spike  and crash  that cereals packed with the sweet stuff can create.

8am: test your metal

Negotiate a sharp right turn into the weights room. Devote a short amount of time to resistance work, to raise your metabolism, says health psychologist James Lamper. Perform one set of 8-10 exercises per muscle group, 2-3 days per week.
A University of Wisconsin study found when men completed a full-body workout with just three big-muscle exercises  bench press, power clean and squat  their metabolic rates were elevated for 39 hours.

11am: burn up on the wet

Things are hotting up, and though you might not welcome wet conditions you need to take on water. Add a few ice cubes to every glass  this burns around 70 extra calories every day (nearly 500 calories a week). This will raise your metabolic rate by 30%, according to Berlins Franz-Volhard Clinical Research Center. Waters also an appetite suppressant that banishes bloating as it flushes out toxins, says the centres Michael Boschmann. The effect starts within
10 minutes and hits top speed after around 35.

12.30pm: smoke your engine

Stop to fill up your tank with a smoked salmon, soft cheese and spinach sandwich, and throw in a pack of yoghurt-covered nuts from Pret A Manger. Each of these contain the metabolism-firing mineral magnesium and polyunsaturated fats, which increase your testosterone levels. Raised testosterone levels give your metabolism extra spike  so stock up on fish, seeds and walnuts to rev up your fat-burning at lunchtime, says Lamper.

3.30pm: stop to refuel

Keep your speedo maxed with half a chicken breast. Metabolic rate goes up with the ingestion of food, says nutrition scientist Jeff Volek, associate professor of kinesiology at University of Connecticut. This is the thermic effect of food (TEF). The TEF of protein is about 25%,so a quarter of the calories it provides are burned during digestion. (Carbs have a TEF of about 10%, and fat just 5%.) So eating several small protein meals a day keeps your metabolism elevated, says Volek.

5.45pm: weight to win

Return to the winning circuit of the weights room after work. Muscle tissue burns more energy just ticking over than fatty tissue does, says Dr Catherine Geissler, head of the Division of Health Sciences, King's College. So, increasing your muscle/fat ratio will give you a higher resting metabolic rate. Geissler estimates that increased lean muscle mass will up your daily energy expenditure by up to 14% (286 calories per day).

7.30pm: track temperature

Pull in to give your engine some afterburn  courtesy of capsaicin, which is abundant in chillies. Chop a few fresh chillies into any dish to encourage thermogenesis  your bodys heat-generating response, which helps burn calories. For maximum effect, its best to eat chilli-based foods on a daily basis, says Jeya Henry, professor of human nutrition, Oxford Brookes University. Not an excuse to have The Raj on speed-dial, mind.

10pm: drink to victory

Finish by popping open a bottle. A milk bottle. The calcium will act as a metabolic trigger. Mozzarella cheese and two plain yoghurts a day will also help you clock up your 700mg RDA of calcium. Milk is also a source of simple carbs, keeping insulin low, says dietician Juliette Kellow. You need to keep insulin in a low gear as high levels tell the body to store fat  thats one signal you wont be penalised for ignoring.

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